And then there were four
by Claire O'Mack
Summary: From the end of season six, through season seven a lot of things changed. Here is my take on what could have happened differently, from the four people who have been there from the very beginning
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to my new story, this is a little different. It is in essence one story told from four different points of view. It is set right before Carol leaves Alexandria, before the scene with Negan and before Daryl takes off after Dwight. Everything that preceded that is as written in the show, from this moment on however it will be my take on what could have happened.

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR.

CARL

His dad had told him he wasn't to take night watch; that the others needed more practice than him, but Carl had never been one to follow orders well. He scanned beyond the wall of Alexandria through the sights on his rifle. For now everything was quiet, there hadn't been much walker action all night. A good thing Carl supposed, but he was starting to get a little bored. Taking his eyes off the scope for a moment, he turned his attention to inside the walls. Wondering what was going on behind closed doors. His eyes scanned for any movement, any tell tell sign's that people were up to anything they shouldn't be. He smiled to himself remembering the time he caught Spencer looting the pantry late at night. Deanna had not been happy to hear about her sons late night wandering.

Carl hadn't wanted to rat on the oldest son of their new communities leader, but there was something about the young man that didn't sit well with Carl. Now with Deanna gone Carl was glad that Spencer had been keeping to himself. Taking a deep breath and looking away from the buildings deciding that there wasn't anything going on worth watching, Carl stood up for a moment, shaking out his dead legs and giving his back a stretch. Watch could be a long boring job, especially on nights like this.

Carl wasn't really looking at the moment he saw her, he had been simply getting himself comfortable again when he happened to look down. If it had been a few seconds earlier, or later he would have missed her flitting between the shadows. It just so happened that has his eyes passed a small break in the buildings, where the light from the moon shone through illuminating her for just a moment.

At first he thought it was Enid off on one of her trips away, but he knew even Enid wasn't stupid enough to run off in the middle of the night. Also this figure was taller, longer in the leg and also knew exactly what they were doing. Carl had to search now, using the sights on his rifle to scan the fence line. It took a few moments before he spotted her, her face covered by some kind of cloth, a large beige coat hiding what could be weapons, and a big rucksack thrown over her shoulder, as she took hold of the fence and began to climb.

It took Carl only seconds to stand up and make his way down the stairs, his heart pounded in his chest, as his feet finally met the concrete of the street and he ran towards the shadowy figure in the corner. His need to shout out squashed by his own fear at startling her and maybe getting shot. He virtually skidded to a halt under where her feet stood on the small ledge of the support beam. It was dark here, and as Carl looked up he couldn't tell if she had heard his approach or not.

"I thought your dad told you no more night watch." Her voice started him, his hands unconsciously going to his pockets, like they did when his mum would tell him off when he was little.

"Yeah." Carl replied finding his mouth suddenly dry and lump forming in his throat.

A second later Carol and dropped back down beside him, her eyes now boring into his. Carl regarded her with trepidation. He was not scared of Carol, even though he knew she could probably kill him in an instant if she wanted to. No he was scared that another one of his family were going to leave him, and this time not because they had died. He searched her face, wondering if her decision had anything to do with him.

"You were going to leave?" Carl asked after the silence dragged on, as Carol obviously wasn't going to say anything. That she was waiting to see if he knew what she was planning.

"Yeah." Carol replied, the single word almost crushing Carl's heart. He knew the woman that stood before him now was a world away from the one who had taught him back in the camp in Atlanta. The lady that always looked out for him back when he had been unable to take care of himself, who brought him food, and always had a kind word for him. To Carl she would always been that person, no matter what else she had done over the years.

"Why?" The question fell off his lips before he could stop it, his heart fluttered in his chest as she dropped her bag on the ground and rubbed her hand down her face. All the fight drained out of her as Carl watched unable to say anything.

"Because I have to." Carol's words were soft, almost whispered, but Carl heard her loud and clear. The woman from the Atlanta camp may have been gone, but the woman standing before him now seemed just as broken.

"No you don't, what would the others think, what would Daryl think."

Carl said now, desperately using the one card he had to play. Family.

"Don't tell them Carl, just let me go it's for the best." Carol replied, her voice almost pleading now and Carl knew she wasn't so sure about her decision. He knew he had to stop her, but he was just a kid, in the end she wasn't going to listen to him, but he knew someone she wouldn't be able to ignore.

"I'm going to get Daryl." Carl said turning to leave as Carol reached out to stop him, Carl felt the wisp of her hand as it grazed his arm, and for a split second he wondered if she was going to knock him out cold. He froze looking back over his shoulder as Carol dropped her arm back to her side, bending down to pick up her bag.

"Where should I tell him to find you?" Carl asked realising that for now he had won. It was a strange feeling to be happy about something so glum, but he couldn't stop the smile that came to his face as Carol shouldered her bag and looked at him across the few feet of space between them.

"I'll be at home."

DARYL

He hadn't been asleep, in fact he hadn't slept since Denise's death. The knock at his door was still a shock however. For a second he thought about ignoring whomever it was, simply sitting in his chair looking out of the window. Carl's voice shocked him out of his stupor, the mention of Carol's name had him almost sprinting for the door.

"What's happened to Carol?" Daryl demanded pulling open the door and speaking at the same time. Carl looked back at him, his face held a look of shock, but he quickly snapped out of it.

"Nothing has happened to her, she was trying to leave." Carl's voice seemed to break here for a moment, and Daryl felt a mixture of panic and anger, neither of which was going to comfort the young man.

"I'll deal with it." Daryl said mustering all his empathy to place a hand on Carl's shoulder before he ran out of the house and down the steps.

"Where is she?" Daryl said as he turned back to Carl who was lingering on his doorstep.

"She said she would be at home." Carl replied and Daryl didn't stop to thank him before taking off. He made a mental note to say something when he had this all sorted out. Right at the moment however he could only think about getting to Carol before she did something stupid.

Virtually running down the street Daryl stopped outside Carol's house, he realised that he had been inside only a few times, that recently they had been growing apart. It hadn't happened all of a sudden, but in a slower less noticeable way. First they had stopped spending so much time together, then she had moved out. Then she had stopped coming to see him as much, and finally there had been Tobin. Daryl's hand shook slightly as he raised his fist to knock at the door, this last thought however topped him. He dropped his hand, and went straight for the door nob, turning it and walking right into her darkened house.

For a second he didn't think she was there, the house was quiet as a grave, no lights were on, and Daryl could hear only the sound of his own heart pounding in his chest. He walked forward, moving through the hallway and into the living room. There was more light in here, the curtains were open and the moon shone through into the small but quaint room.

"Daryl." The voice behind him made him jump almost visibly in the air, he span on his heel ready to berate her for scaring the crap out of him, but at the sight of her face his mouth slammed closed. The light from the moon was highlighting her face as she raised an arm, flicking on the light in the living room and giving Daryl his first real good look at her.

She hadn't been crying, but her eyes showed sorrow, her face looked haggard, and her lips were pressed in a thin line.

"I've been expecting you." she said now moving to sit on the cough, her hands clasped in her lap as she stared down at her own shoes. Daryl wanted to go to her, to reach out and hold her until she felt better, and yet he could not bring himself to move. He still felt angry about her trying to leave, without any thought for herself or the rest of them.

"You weren't even gonna say goodbye." It wasn't a question and the sharp look Carol flashed him had Daryl's anger flare again.

"If I had you would never have let me go." Carol replied as she continued to not look at him, and play with something on her shirt.

"Right, ya know why? Cuz your family, we look out for our own." Daryl said now taking an unconscious step towards her as Carol finally looked up at him. Their eyes met, and for a moment there was nothing but silence. Daryl did not feel that old familiar connection that they once had. To look at one another and simply say everything they needed to without speaking. No, now there was hidden meaning, and secrets behind her look. Daryl knew he had to fix this and quickly, that maybe he had a part to play in Carol's decision to leave.

"Is it me?" he asked, his heart thumping inside his chest, equally scared that the answer was yes, and no at the same time. The small almost imperceivable shake of her head did little to comfort him, Daryl knew he would have to talk to her, get her to tell him what was really going on, but talking was not his strong point, action was, but there was no one to fight here, nothing to defend her from except her own thoughts.

"It's me, it's what I have become." Carol's voice broke both the silence, and Daryl's inner turmoil. He knelt down in front of her, placing one hand tentatively over her own. Her pull away shocked him, his anger returned. He pushed it down before he sat back and looked at her, his stare and silence forcing her to meet his gaze finally.

"If it ain't me then why'd you pull away?" he said keeping his voice as even as he could as Carol looked away again before taking in a long deep breath.

"You need to let me go Daryl, I thought, I thought maybe now you could." her words hit a cord, neither of them had pulled on for a while, and Daryl felt himself now being the one to pull away. Standing up and pacing around the room, he felt like a trapped animal, needing to break free, but at the same time desperately needed the approval of its master.

"Never." He finally said stopping his pacing and standing in front of her once more, unable not to tell her the truth. She had always been the one person to see though him, to see than man behind the bravado, and his somewhat tragic upbringing, to see him. As her eyes drew back towards his Daryl registered the slight shock, hidden behind a vale of anger.

"You don't need to protect me any more Daryl, I don't need it, and more to the point I don't want it." Her words were like ice cold fingers on his skin, and for a moment Daryl could do nothing but process what she had said. He looked down at her now, she was still sitting on the couch, but now her hands had balled into fists, rubbing up and down her cargo pants. For a second Daryl wondered if she was planning on hitting him.

"I know, you ever think that maybe we want ya around cuz we all like ya, cuz ya are our family." Daryl replied finally in an attempt to appease her, and yet the sentiment seemed somewhat lacking. Worse, Daryl knew she knew it too.

"I can't be around any of you any more, if I stay I will end up doing something that I can't come back from, I wont be me any more." Carol said her voice almost pleading with him now. Her emotions were like a roller-coaster. One moment she was sad, the next angry. Now she seemed defeated. It was then that Daryl noticed the light streaming in from the window. They had been talking long enough for the sun to come up, but Daryl felt like he had had only a moment with her, and no where near long enough to convince her to stay.

"Your still planning on leaving aren't you" he said, it wasn't a question, and Carol didn't answer, she didn't need to, whatever had once been between them was now nothing more than a small flicker amongst the flames that burn on both their souls.

"I won't let ya run from this, whatever it is that's eating at ya, we can get through it, we've all done terrible shit since this all started. I should'a killed Dwight when I had a chance, then Denise would still be here, I should'a done a lot of things but ain't." Daryl said in a rare moment of truthfulness, and it actually wasn't that bad. Daryl couldn't take his eyes of the woman before him, her face held a small smile, but it wasn't a happy one.

"Wrong thing done for the right reason, still the wrong thing."

RICK

He had woken up the the smell of Michonne cooking, it brought a small smile to his lips as for a moment he forgot about the world he lived in. Stretching his muscles luxuriously in the warm comfortable bed. He let out a small satisfied moan as he sat upright and pushed the covers away from him. The sun was shining through the window, he had a beautiful woman downstairs cooking him breakfast, and his children were safe and sound inside the protective walls of Alexandria. For a brief shining moment he was no longer the leader of a band of survivors. There were no dead banging at their door. No enemy's left to fight, and all he had to worry about at that moment was that Michonne was not burning the breakfast.

As it was in this world now however the moment was short lived, the world once again shattered as a loud pounding came from the door below. Rick dressed quickly, knowing that that type of knock was not bringing good news. He lurched down the stairs to find Enid looking frightened and flustered babbling to Michonne who was trying to calm her. Carl was not far behind him, as Rick turned to his son, he noticed a tortured look on his oldest child's face. He was about to ask Carl what the matter was, but Enid was finally starting to make sense.

"It's Maggie, something, wrong, maybe the baby." It was disjointed and punctuated with deep gasps of breath, but Rick wasted no time in rushing through the door and over towards Maggie and Glenn's house.

"Is Glenn with her?" Rick called as he noticed everyone following him.

"Yes." Enid's voice floated through the air, as Rick felt a little better knowing that they were together.

When he arrived at the house and finding Maggie in a bad state there had been no question as to what they had to do. The RV was the only vehicle big enough to fit everyone inside. Rick noticed that Carol and Daryl were the last to arrive, both arguing as they approached. Rick even saw Daryl grab Carol by the arm and force her to look at him. Rick knew that something was going on, but for right now that would have to wait. As he watched them climb onto the RV he nodded at Abraham to start up the engine. Leaning out of the window he looked to Gabriel and then his eyes fell on Morgan. He hadn't quite figured the man out yet, but he knew that he could trust him with the rest of the community.

"Look after the place." he spoke to all of them, briefly remembering the moment of peace he had that very morning, not more than an hour ago. The nods returned to him made Rick feel marginally better as the RV moved off and the gate was opened.

Rick knew as soon as they came to the first roadblock that something wasn't right, he knew this was not the last they were going to see of the saviours. He kept that thought to himself however, making sure not to let the others know he was worried. Everyone seemed to buy into it, at least from what Rick could tell. Glenn was too worried about Maggie to care or notice. Rosita and Sasha were ready for a fight, along with Abraham and probably his own son. Daryl was a little harder to read, he had been a silent observer since he had boarded the RV, and Eugene was preoccupied with finding them alternate routes to pay too much attention.

Carol was the only one looking at him with concern, her eyes had been flitting between Rick and the road since they climbed back on board. Rick found her looking at him once more, her eyes connecting with his own as he spotted another roadblock. It confirmed what he had known from the start, that this was far from over, and the only one who seemed to realise it as well was the woman boring holes in the back of his head. Sometimes Rick hated being in charge.

The weight of leadership had never been so heavy, here in the dirt on his knees, surrounded by his enemy, and flanked by his family. He would have given up his own life in a second if he thought that it would save even one of the others, but the decision had been out of his hands. He was frozen to the ground, terror keeping every muscle in his body tense. He knew he could not stop what was happening, they had been warned about interfering. Rick had no doubt that this man would follow though on his threat. Every single time the bat pointed at someone and a word was spoken, Rick shock a little harder. He felt like he was about to pass out, but he knew he could do no such thing. He dared look at the faces around him, his eyes flitting across each terrified face after another until they landed on a single set of blue eyes. There was a calmness there, as though she wanted this. Carol's eyes never moved, she never saw his looking at her, and for a second Rick wondered if Carol had finally lost her mind.

The thoughts went out of the window the second Negan had chosen, the thwack of the bat and Abraham's final words spluttered from his lips brought only the shrill sound of screaming from the others. Rick needed the calmness of Carol now, but this time when he looked at her all he could see were the broken tears of one of his family in pain. 'She wanted it to be her' the thought passed unbidden though his brain as suddenly Daryl shot up and punched Negan in the face. The scream that came from Carol was the most haunting one Rick had heard in his life. The entire ensemble of people stopped and looked at her as she pounded her fists into the ground, and yet did not move from her spot. Rick's heart leapt into his throat, unable to do anything but sit there in terror as Negan had Daryl restrained and a gun put to Carol's head.

"I'm gonna kill you." Rick whispered under his breath, his body shaking, not caring what happened to him any more. If Negan hurt Daryl or Carol he would rip his throat out with his teeth, bullet to the head be dammed.

In the end it wasn't either of them, but Glenn who paid the price. Glenn who told Maggie he would find her, Glenn who stopped all the thoughts of retaliation in Rick's mind. There was no getting out of this, not without losing everyone. Rick could barely mutter a single word when Negan had Carol and Daryl placed in a van to be taken away with the saviours. Rick could feel the life ebbing out of him, the will to go on almost vanished in the blink of an eye.

CAROL

She thought it could have been her, that the sequence of events leading up to this point had not been for nothing. Getting caught by Carl, sitting up and arguing with Daryl all night, finding out that there was something wrong with Maggie's baby. All of it for this moment, where she could finally do something for the group that would also put and end to her own misery.

She knew the moment Negan made eye contact with her however that this was not to be her day to die. She even knew who the man had chosen maybe even before he did himself. She knew he was not going to kill one of the women, it just wasn't his style. Rick and Carl were also off the list as Negan was smart, psychotic but none the less smart. Killing Rick would have the rest of them enraged, killing Carl would make Rick uncooperative. Glenn was a mess and not a threat as was Eugene. No it was either going to be Daryl or Abraham. The brief thought of loosing Daryl had Carol's palms sweating, but if Negan choose him then she would have no choice but to go out trying to take the man down. In the end it all happened so quickly that Daryl beat her to it.

When Glenn was put down due to Daryl's reaction Carol forced herself to keep still, the scream that erupted from her mouth was something she couldn't control, but she remained still, knowing that she could not be responsible for the death of one of her family.

She climbed into the van meekly, unable to speak, barely able to coordinate her legs to climb up into the truck, and Daryl in the end had to lift her. She had been lying to him earlier when she had told him she didn't need him any more, she did need him but not in the way she used to. She couldn't look at him now as the truck pulled away she did not have anything left to give him. Soon she would, she knew she would have to save her family one last time.

Carol had no concept of time in the truck, it seemed both like hours and seconds before it finally rolled to a stop and the back doors were opened. Carol supposed that not being able to see where one was going, and being kept in complete darkness would cause some lack of concept of time. But most of all, and Carol was fast coming to this realisation. Having witness first hand the deaths of two of her family, then being ripped away from all but one of them was the real reason for her minds turmoil. In some way it comforted her, it was the first time in a long time she realised that she wasn't the monster she thought she was.

"Get out." A strong male voice instructed her, as a strip of light fell across her face and she had to raise up her hand to block out the intense light that was now blinding her after the darkness of the truck.

Carol did as she was instructed, she knew there was nothing to be gained by not complying right now. She knew however as she stepped out of the truck, feeling rather than seeing Daryl do the same beside her, that there would inevitably come a time when she would no longer comply. All the men now looking at her seemed to be regarding her with nothing more than contempt, like she was only property, a thing to be used and thrown away. She could hear a low growl coming from Daryl who was stood shoulder to shoulder with her as the saviours continued to look at them, unspeaking, unmoving. Fortunately no one it seemed could here her companions, less than silent challenge, as finally the sea of people parted, and Negan walked through his people. Coming to a direct stop in front of them and swinging his bat so it sat over his shoulder.

"Now look what we have here, I think this is going to be fun."

Carol could do nothing except to hide both her rage and her fear, it seemed however that Daryl had less control over his hatred of this man. His voice came out in a low growl, a tone that Carol had never heard from him in all the years. It was almost as frightening as Negan himself.

"Touch her, and I will kill you."

TBC...

Thank you for reading, please let me know if you would like to read more. Ps I am a Carly shipper so please expect some of that.


	2. Chapter 2

RICK

Rick knew that there were few things in life that were a certainty. Death was about the only thing anyone could count on. Right now however he knew his group was broken, certain of it. They had pulled themselves together only long enough to make the rest of the journey to the Hill top. The entire way they moved in silence, the odd sob and caught breath here and there were the only sounds. Rick had no comforting words, no inspiring ones either, and even when Michonne tried to comfort him, he shrugged off her arm and turned away from her. He felt terrible afterwards, but he did not have the energy to apologise.

He had run through many variations in his head about how they could escape, cheat or even defeat the Saviours; but there was only one result no matter what plan or ploy Rick could think of. No all that would be left for them if they did not comply would be death. He could feel its icy fingers grasping at them even now as he sat next to Carl, driving them all back to Alexandria in a van borrowed from Jesus. He could see the death on all their faces as his eyes passed across them before settling on the road ahead once more.

"You ok dad?" Carl's soft voice broke the silence inside the van, but no one else seemed to acknowledge the young man's question. Rick barely managed a nod before reaching over and taking hold of his sons hand. A hand that he had almost been forced to cut off not so long ago. Rick shuddered involuntarily, pulling his hand away quickly in the hope that his son would not notice. It was however clear when he turned back to look at Carl that he knew something was wrong.

"We will all be ok, we just have to stick together." Rick replied finally, not even really believing his own words, but hoping his tone was convincing enough.

"What about Daryl and Carol?" Carl asked and that had a few heads looking up. Rick could see several faces now in the rear view mirror as he felt the almost ever present pressure of eyes upon him.

"Right now their on their own, we have to regroup, figure things out." Rick continued. Hoping that Carl didn't press him on this matter right now. It wasn't as if he didn't have enough to worry about, and both Daryl and Carol could take care of themselves. Rick knew that Negan had not chosen to kill Abraham and Glenn lightly, they were strong male fighters. As was Daryl, and although he had escaped the bat, he was no longer with the group and so not a threat to Negan. The one who really surprised him was Carol. She was an expert at playing the scared den mother, but for a second in that clearing she had turned in to the warrior she truly was. Negan had seen it of course, they all had, and so he had taken her too.

Now they had all been left broken, the gates opening to allow them into Alexandria upon their return, was headed by Gabriel. The former priest smile dropping off his face quickly as soon as he saw them. Rick had to steal himself once more to tell the rest of the community what was about to happen, what their lives were going to become.

He turned off the engine, looked at his son, offered him a small smile and waited until he was the only one left inside the van. Taking a deep breath and opening the door, he stepped out onto the pavement and scanned the sea of faces before him. He had no idea how he was going to explain to the people who had trusted him, that he had failed them this time.

Sometimes Rick really hated being the leader.

DARYL

Darkness, that's all he had know for what felt like days now, he had been going out of his mind with worry about Carol. When Negan had come to them in the yard, and asked them to join him, Daryl had almost spat in the man's face. Carol's firm look had stopped him however as he calmed down and let her deal with the man. After all she was much better at dealing with people than him. The moment however that Carol had declined to play along with Negan's little game, and refuse to call herself Negan; along with everybody else. Daryl knew the game had changed. They had been led through a maze of concrete corridors. Passed what felt like hundreds of faces, all of which looked at him in some mix of loathing and sorrow. The looks at Carol however ranged widely from curiosity, to lust, and even hatred.

The last time he had seen her was right before he had been thrown in to this darkened prison. Four concrete walls, a floor, a bucket and nothing else. He had been sleeping in short uncomfortable bursts, and trying to plan his move, if he ever got the chance to make one. The only person who had come to his cell was the man he had been so close to going after that last fateful day. Before Carol had tried to leave, and Maggie had her problem with her baby. Daryl wondered now if Maggie was ok, if the baby was still growing in her stomach. If the last part of Glenn left to her hadn't also died that night in the clearing. His guilt was almost as strong as his anger as he sat in the dark thinking about these things. 'At least', he thought; 'thinking blocks out the sound of that dam song.'

Every time Dwight came back to his dungeon, Daryl would ask about Carol, and every time he got the same answer.

"What is your name?" Dwight would ask, and every time Daryl would snarl at the man and turn away from him, refusing to even acknowledge that he was still there.

After the fifth time Dwight came into feed him, Daryl attempted to keep track of time. He had figured that they fed him twice a day. Two dog food sandwiches to devour, two cups of water, and two chances to tell Dwight that his name was Negan.

After three more days of the same thing Daryl began to wonder if Carol had continued with her defiance, or if she had started to crack under the pressure. Much to Daryl's shame he was starting to welcome the visits by Dwight. Even the slightest human contact was like honey to him now. His mind had turned into a bees nest of thoughts. Nothing seemed to make sense any more. Everything seemed to merge together inside his mind, forming one long endless nightmare; where each member of his family would die one by one. Some would get Lucille, others would succumb to walkers, and more often than not' one or more of them would take a cross bow bolt to the eye. All to the tune of easy street as he was left alone every single time.

It took him quite a long time to realise someone was calling his name. It was a soft feminine voice, one he knew well. His eyes opened a crack as he turned his head, and saw Carol's face as she crouched down beside him. He blinked a few times, but her image remained.

"Your not real." He said, this not being the first time he had seen visions of his family, and especially of her. He had no concern for his modesty, as he lay before this image of his best friend; naked as the day he was born.

"I'm real Daryl." she replied her hand falling on his shoulder as she spoke. Her fingers squeezing gently until Daryl sat up quickly, pulling his knees up to his chin. Never had one of his visions touched him, never had he felt warm soft fingers caressing his skin. He looked at her now, the solemn look on her face, not filling him with confidence.

"Why?" Daryl asked finally as Carol's eyes shifted quickly to the door, and then back to his face.

"You need to start going along with what they are asking of you, I cannot help you if you don't." Carol replied as she sat back on her haunches slightly, creating a small gap between them as she searched out his eyes in the dimly lit room. It was then Daryl noticed that the door was open a crack, that they could escape if they went quickly.

"Dwight is just outside the door, I don't have long. You need to comply Daryl, we are stronger together. I can't help you if you are confined in here. Out there we may be servants, but at least we will have a chance." Carol's voice was quiet, nothing more than a hushed whisper, but Daryl heard her loud and clear. She had a plan, and he knew she would never allow them to become one of Negan's puppets without good reason.

His simple nod was all Carol needed to know that he would do what she asked, his eyes lingered on hers for a moment, and in an instant he knew whatever they had lost between them over the last few months was back. Maybe it had never left, they had just refused to acknowledge it. For a moment Daryl felt better. Then Carol was gone and the darkness was back, but somehow it didn't seem quite as bad. Even the music had gone, and only the sweet silence was left.

CAROL

It had become clear to Carol very quickly that she wasn't about to walk out of her cell and back to her life. No the only way out of here was to, at least on the surface go along with what Negan was asking of her. Carol knew it would be a fine line to walk on, that at least at first she would be watched closely. Probably no freedom at all, but what else was new. These days freedom was nothing more than an unobtainable dream. If it wasn't Negan it would be the walkers keeping her imprisoned, or even her own family. She shuddered at the thought of going back, having to kill to protect her people all over again. It was the reason she had wanted to leave, but now there was a real and present threat to their very existence. It was this nagging thought that had her unable to sleep at night.

She tossed in her bed, the knowledge of a saviour standing right outside her door not helping with her unrest. That and the thought of Daryl down in his cell, but Carol knew she had to bide her time to get him out. She had to gain the Saviours trust, get them to believe, like so many before them; that she was no threat.

Finally after three days, she had taken her opportunity. After not being allowed outside at all they had finally agreed to let her walk around the grounds of the sanctuary. Under escort that was, with a man they called big Joe. Carol had met him before and was grateful that he seemed like one of the more reasonable people here. He spoke to her like she was a real person, not a slave or a piece of property. He had a nice smile and was quick to laugh. All in all he was not someone Carol would have wanted to kill, under different circumstances. Everyone here though was the enemy, every person that followed Negan was someone who could kill one of her family. No matter how infectious his smile was.

"Hey don't you think it's a bit dangerous keeping walkers this close to the compound?" Carol asked as they approached the section of yard that contained about fifty walkers. Carol knew of course they were there to defend against an attack, well chained up, and easily overcome; if you knew what you were doing. She didn't however want Joe to know this of course.

"Naw we got them under control. We throw the newbies in there if they don't behave." Joe said pointing to two men wearing beige sacks with a single letter B on them. Carol feigned fear, her eyes going wide and her mouth dropping open at the idea of her being thrown in there.

"Don't worry little lady I don't think Negan will be ordering you to run the gauntlet any time soon." Joe replied as Carol took a step back and wrapped her arms tightly around her body.

"I'm not good with killing them, you know, never really had to do it." Carol said as Joe looked down at her, his eyes narrowing to small slits.

"Boss said you was a real firecracker, and that I was too keep a close eye on you, you ain't giving me that impression." Joe said as Carol looked down at her shoes, making herself seem even smaller than she actually was.

"I had to pretend I knew what I was doing so that other groups wouldn't see me as a weak link, but to tell the truth I have never even killed a walker." Carol lied, it was so convincing that even one of her own might have believed her if they had been around to witness it.

"I can believe that, plenty of no good types around here. Just the other week one of our outposts was raided by some nomads. Took a good stash of weapons, and took out half of the guys stationed there. Got away with it too, can't seem to find them. I know the boss man was pissed over that one." Joe continued as they walked passed the groaning undead. Carol making sure she gave them a wide birth, just for show.

"You know I would love to talk to Daryl, maybe I could convince him that it isn't so bad here." Carol asked then, turning towards Joe and stopping him with a hand on his chest. He glanced down at her hand. It looked so small and frail against his massive chest. His eyes then raked her form before returning to her face.

"Can ask the boss about it for ya I guess." Joe replied a small smile gracing his face as he spoke and Carol returned the grin and allowed her finger to trace a pattern on Joe's shirt.

"I would be really grateful if you could." Her words implying more, as she smiled up at him. Inside her stomach was churning at the thought of paying up on this implied offer. But she remained still, the smile gracing her features until Joe moved; leading her back inside towards what was now her room.

It was nothing but a bed, a floor and a window; but it was a huge improvement on her dark dank cell. Daryl had been in his now for five days. She had been there only two, knowing that the woman she was trying to portray would neither have the will power, nor the determination to last any longer than that. The truth was however far more simple. She could do far more damage on the outside than she could fighting from inside that room. Carol hoped that Daryl was ok, although she knew he had to be slowly loosing his mind down there. Unfortunately there was nothing she could do for him right now. Short of stealing an Uzi and shooting her way to him, something she was sure would result in both their deaths. Carol's only option was to bide her time.

On the sixth day of their capture her patients seemed to have paid off when a soft knock came at the door. Upon opening it and finding herself standing face to face with Negan, Carol knew she would have to give the performance of her life, if she was going to convince the leader of the Saviours she was nothing more than a weak den mother. One who hadn't killed a single walker in her life. Let alone twenty five people.

He entered her room like he lived there, sitting on her bed and crossing his feet at the ankles. Carol tried to make her body shiver without it looking forced. The concerned look that appeared on Negan's face let her know she had done a good job.

"You are scared of me, I get it, I killed two of your people. You know what though that's behind us now. We need to move on." Negan said gesturing between them as Carol stood stock still, not saying a word. Simply looking at the man sat before her.

"I have been hearing only good things about you from my people, you know." Negan continued as Carol wrapped one arm around herself and placed the other hand on her stomach. Fingers twisting in the material there until it was bunched up and wrinkled.

"I also here that you would like to speak to your friend. I think this could be arranged." Negan said a small smile appearing on his face, as Carol waited in silence for the other shoe to drop.

"You agree to cook me dinner tonight and I will let you have ten whole minutes with olé Daryl, what ya say?" Negan's smile turned into a full blown grin, teeth and all as Carol fought the urge to ram the ball of her hand up hard under his nose. She knew of she got the angle just right his nose would splinter, shoving the bone up into his brain. This was not the right time for that, too many other people around, too many witnesses for her to make it look like an accident.

"I would be honoured." Carol finally said her voice a soft whisper, but clear enough to make Negan believe it, and not have any clue as to what she was really thinking.

"Ok then. I'll get Dwight to take you down to the cells and you can have a little chat with Daryl, maybe you can convince him that we're not so bad." Negan replied standing up, his voice held a not so subtle hint that was what he really wanted from her. Carol just nodded, her façade not slipping for a second, not even after the door had closed behind him.

She had watched him for a few minutes before her hand landed on his shoulder, calling his name in an attempt to wake him from whatever nightmare he had been caught in. at first he had not believed she was real. He had looked at her as though she had been here many times before, just a figment of his imagination. She had reached for him again then, and his entire demeanour had changed. He had hidden his body from her. Shyly hidden his face behind long greasy streaks of hair, until she had spoken to him asked him to look at her.

To say his naked form had gone unnoticed by her would have been a lie, bit for now there were more pressing matters than the years of undisclosed longing between them. She had told him in a few uttered words, and long looks of her plan, and he had agreed. If all went well Daryl would be out of his cell tomorrow, and Carol knew she could begin with her scheme. Starting tonight at dinner.

CARL

It had been nearly a week since the incident in the clearing, and Carl had done nothing but watch his father descend further into himself. He was no longer the strong leader that he once had been. Carl was scared, but more than that he was angry. Not even Michonne could bring him out of the slump he had fallen into. They had spoken about it one day. Michonne had being going off with a riffle to hunt, but Carl knew it was more than that. The woman was an expert with that Katana she could kill almost anything with it. When Carl had asked her about it he got more truth than he was expecting.

"Someone has to do something, we can't keep living like this." Michonne had said her words quiet, afraid of being overheard perhaps.

"Your dad, he is still in shock, I get he is trying to save lives, but it's just not me." She had continued as Carl just watched and listened. He understood that she was not doing this because his dad couldn't, but she was doing it to save him encase it didn't work out.

Carl watched her walk away, a woman he had come to think of as one of his best friends, his dads girlfriend and a far braver person than he could ever be. In that instant Carl knew that he couldn't let her do this alone. He pushed his hair out of his face and turned for the house he shared with his family, now thinking not of it fondly, but more like a prison. He climbed the steps and sat on the seat under the verandah on the porch. He watched as several people walked passed, their heads hung low, not speaking, not making eye contact with any one. It was like a different town, full of hollow people, not much better than the walkers that prowled the walls outside.

In that moment Carl knew he had to do something, even if it meant going it alone, he had to try and free Daryl and Carol, if nothing else it would bring them all back together, it might be the push his dad needed to do something about the Saviours. They were not slaves, they hadn't gotten as far as they had by giving up. Not at the farm, not with the Governor, and certainly not to the Saviours.

The irony was not lost on Carl as he slung the pack over his shoulder and climbed up the wall to Alexandria. Only a week ago he had stopped Carol from doing exactly the same thing, and now he was retracing her steps only to save her. He briefly wondered what might have happened if he hadn't seen her, and she had gone. She would have no idea what had happened here, but she also wouldn't be a prisoner.

When Carl dropped down the other side he didn't look back, knowing that no one would be watching him, he had been on duty in the tower, another thing his dad had suddenly not worried about, and the final reason he had made the decision to go. He walked into the night and wondered not for the first time exactly how he was going to pull this off.

TBC... so I don't promise super quick updates but I will do my best to get a couple of chapters done a week. Comments welcomed thank you for reading XxX


	3. Chapter 3

DARYL

The words tasted like cold vomit as they fell from his lips. He had too keep reminding himself that this was for Carol. She had asked him to comply, to get out and help her cope with being here. Even if that meant spitting out the words he would do it.

Dwight didn't look convinced at first, but a small slow smile crept onto his lips as Daryl said it again.

"I am Negan." Three little words that meant the difference between getting on with living, and merely existing in this room. Daryl knew he didn't mean what he was saying, he only had to convince the Saviours that he did. The small triumphant smile on Dwight's face seemed to suggest he had been successful.

"So you're ready to join us a. Well you may have just made the best decision of your life." Dwight said popping back out of the door for a moment. Daryl almost held his breath, the door was still open and he could no longer see Dwight. His body was screaming at him to go, but his mind was telling him to stay. For once his brain overrode his body, keeping him firmly fixed to the floor.

He stayed there waiting, knowing that to leave would not only put his own life in jeopardy, but also perhaps Carol's as well. It was that singular thought that finally shut the voice up that was still willing him to go. It was also becoming quite apparent that this was some kind of test, too see if he was sincere about staying with them, or if he was going to run as soon as an opportunity presented it's self.

Daryl didn't have long to contemplate it however as Dwight returned, throwing what looked like a burlap sac at him. As Daryl caught it, it didn't feel much better. It was rough, and pretty dirty. He looked at it and then up at Dwight.

"Put it on, your now an initiate, you wear that until you are trusted enough to get a job." Dwight said, as Daryl fought down the urge to throw the uncomfortable oversize sac back at the man looking at him from the doorway. With a moments pause Daryl finally stood up pulling the cloth over his head. He noticed that it fell to mid thigh, and without any form of underwear; Daryl felt decidedly exposed. He pulled subconsciously at the hem as he stepped outside of his cell for the first time in what felt like years.

The corridor was painted grey, the windows high, and only let in a small bit of daylight, but it felt like a blinding sunrise to Daryl. After being kept in total darkness for so long, his pupils had become over sensitive. He followed Dwight down the hallway, around several turns, and he was stopped at a doorway.

"You listen carefully now, because if you break any of these rules there will be nothing I can do for you." Dwight said, his voice betraying just how important this was. Also Daryl was getting the distinct impression that Dwight didn't want Daryl to be hurt, or worse.

Nodding only once, with nothing much to say Dwight opened up the door and let Daryl enter into a large open room. They were on the second level, standing on what was a walkway, leading around the edge of the larger room below.

Daryl looked down, he saw maybe forty people below them, all working on various things. None of them looked clean, well fed or as imposing as the Saviours they had met so far. Some of them were wearing the same beige sac he was, and others tatty and ill fitting clothing. These people looked like the lowest ranks of the Saviours, and most of them didn't appear to enjoy it. Daryl scanned the faces, looking down on them from up here it was difficult to make out most of them, but a few caught his eye. They looked beaten, almost to the point where Daryl thought he spotted a walker milling around among them. At closer inspection, he could tell the man was just simply sick. Most of the people in this room looked battered and ill. A thought crossed Daryl's mind then, something he was sure Carol had been hinting at when she had come to speak to him. Not everyone was happy here. The united front of the Saviours they had seen previously was not as united as it had first appeared. Sure the ones they had met had good lives, probably privileges, and were well fed. However there had to be more people, like himself that had been brought here against their will. People like the ones in this room; people who may be willing to fight against their captors if they were given a chance.

Dwight led him down the staircase, and into the throng of people. He looked at some, avoided others, but now the looks he was receiving were only of pity. Daryl did his best not to react, to keep his head down, and play his roll. They had walked almost all the way to the end of the room, when a hushed silence fell among the crowd. Dwight's hand fell on Daryl's shoulder, turning him back towards the way they had come. Daryl scanned the room once more, he was glad that so far he had not seen Carol amongst these desolate people. That, at least he could be grateful for. He also remembered that she had not been wearing a sac like his when she had come to visit him. He couldn't quite remember what she had been wearing, but it defiantly had not been the uncomfortable beige jumper he was now sporting.

The silence that had fallen over the room suddenly caught Daryl's attention, away from scanning the faces of the crowd. For a moment he wondered what they were all looking at, until he looked up. There high above them, on the gantry that he had occupied not a moment ago; stood Negan. One hand placed on the railing, the other around the handle of Lucille. The appearance of the leader of the Saviours was not what had Daryl squirming next to Dwight, or his fists clenched so hard together that had his knuckles turning white. No it was who was next to him that was giving Daryl heart palpations.

RICK

He had been gone far too long, but they had had to go out further than they ever had been before to scavenge the supply's they needed. He had taken Aaron with him, not only did Rick know the man was capable of taking care of himself, but he had been there, in that clearing on the worst night of their lives. Aaron had not complained about the lengths they had to go to too get their haul; he had remained helpful and mostly silent. It was giving Rick far too much time to think. He couldn't get Carol's scream out of his head, not Maggie's cry as Glenn was killed. Or Sasha's sobbing. No it was the primal scream of the woman on his far left that haunted his dreams at night. Now she was gone, along with Daryl. Two of the people he trusted the most had been wrenched from his life.

As they drove back towards Alexandria, Rick knew that it may have been easier if they had just been killed. He could have accepted that, even drawn on it to try and fight against the Saviours. The fact remained however that they were still alive, he could still save them if he played this right. Rick had come to realise that Negan knew this too. It was another way to control them, too keep them in line. Rick's eyes fell onto the landscape before him. His face turned towards the side window as Aaron drove, his speed steady, and his eyes transfixed on the road ahead. Rick couldn't see much from his window. The road was lined with trees, and the forest was thick and green, the height of summer was upon them. A single bead of sweat rolled down his forehead, but it had nothing to do with the heat.

Six months ago, Rick had thought them almost untouchable. A strong band of survivors, with a good secure base, and a healthy supply line of food and resources. Two months ago they had found out about the world beyond their walls, and he had laughed at the idea of the saviours. Even promised Gregory that they would take them out in return for a share of their produce. Now Rick's laughter had turned to ashes in his mouth, the dry foul taste lingering no matter what he did to rid himself of it.

Pulling into Alexandria, Rick pulled himself together, knowing that he had to present a strong face to the people waiting for him there. Especially for Carl, he knew he had been somewhat neglecting the boy since the incident in the clearing, and for that part at least he could make up for. The faces that greeted him were solemn, the worst of which was Michonne's. She was clutching Judith to her chest, her little chubby legs wrapped around her hip as she bounced up and down. Rick was glad that she was still too young to understand what was happening. For he was sure she would be as disappointed in him, as his son was.

Climbing out Rick started to ask people about unloading the van. They had brought back a significant amount of supply's, and it would need cataloguing and putting away as soon as possible. He could see Michonne out of the corner of his eye, she had made no move to come and talk to him. Her inactivity was making Rick nervous, something had happened he was sure of it now, as the rest of the community started moving around him. Beginning the unloading process, as Rick took a look around but noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

Still Michonne did not move, even as Judith began to wail in her arms, poking her tiny hands out towards her father, the dark woman remained stoic, her legs spread apart, one hand on the baby, the other on her hip. Now Rick knew that something was really up. Unable to remain still any longer, giving up his supervision of the unloading process; he moved towards the woman he loved. Their eyes connecting, as he saw only sadness in hers he wondered what she was reading from him.

"Michonne?" Her name came out as more of a question, as he stood virtually toe to toe with her, reaching out quickly and collecting his crying daughter.

"You need to know something." She said her voice flat, but her eyes betraying her sadness. Rick braced himself, he really couldn't take any more bad news right now.

"What is it?" He asked keeping his voice low, not wanting anyone else to overhear their conversation.

"It's Carl, he is missing." Michonne came right out with it, no spearing his feelings, no long build up. Just a simple statement. Rick felt like he had been punched in the stomach, he bent over slightly, placing the hand that wasn't holding the baby on his knee. His breath hitched as he tried to find the words.

"How long?" He finally spat out as Michonne's hand landed comfortingly on his shoulder. It did little to help, but he did not push her away.

"Yesterday evening, we think he left during his watch." Michonne said her voice also remaining low as she tried to move them away from the crowd, still unloading supplies.

"You have looked for him I take it." Rick muttered now feeling anger rise inside his chest. This was not some accident, or teenage wandering gone wrong. This had been on purpose.

"Yeah we didn't find anything, but I think it's safe to say that he has gone after Negan. He took the rifle from the watch tower, and not much else. I guess he plans on this being a short trip." Michonne said her own anger rising as they make it to the foot of their house and Rick climbs the steps. His mind in turmoil as he weighs his options.

"If we go after him, and Negan finds out what we are up too, more people could die including Carl. If I don't go, Carl could get captured and killed, but the rest of us would be safe." Rick looked at Michonne, hoping that she had the answers that he didn't. It was clear however that she was just as torn as he was.

"If we go.." her sentence was cut short by the rumbling of trucks. Both of them turned to look as a large figure appeared behind the gate. Their silhouette moving as they raised what looked like a baseball bat against the side of the fence and banged hard three times.

CARL

It had become apparent pretty quickly that simply walking to the Sanctuary was not going to be possible. Not only was it really far away, but being out here alone, was extremely dangerous. Even one walker was becoming a real threat as his body grew weaker. Both exhausted and hungry, Carl attempted to climb a tree so he could sleep. He lost his footing several times before he was able to pull himself up onto a branch, high enough so the walkers could no longer reach him. Not for the first time did he wish he had prepared for this better. He hadn't packed enough food, he had no rope to tie himself into the tree, and his water was precariously low.

Resting back against the trees thick trunk he closed his eyes, trying to think about what his dad would do. The only image that came to mind was the look on his father's face when he had been ready to cut off his arm. Carl swiped at the tears that began to fall down his cheeks. He felt like ten year old boy again, weak, alone, and incapable of helping his group.

"Think Carl, come on." he said to himself his voice no more than a whisper but sounding so loud in the silence of the forest.

Taking a car was out, there was no way he could drive to the Sanctuary and not been seen. Walking there was also a firm no however, as he knew he had maybe covered three miles and he hadn't even gotten a quarter of the way. Walkers, and the constant fear of being spotted had slowed him down. He had probably walked closer to five miles, but the constant changing of direction, and circling around had only gotten him half that distance in the direction he wanted to go.

Knowing that he could not fall asleep, in fear of falling from the tree, and possibly breaking his neck, Carl simply rested, his eyes open; and his body tense listening for walkers. He sat that way until the sun rose high enough that he could see the road just beyond the trees. Yet he did not move, even though his mind was telling him that he could cover more ground in daylight. He had yet to come up with a plan that would get him to the Sanctuary.

Knowing that sitting in the tree was getting him nowhere, Carl finally moved his aching body and descended the tree. He was quiet as he touched the forest floor, remembering what Daryl had taught him. Thinking back fondly on their hunting expeditions, Carl found a renewed energy to go and save his friend. Moving forward once more, keeping the road insight, but not getting too close to it, in fear of being seen; he moved through the woods at a much faster pace.

He had gone maybe a mile when he heard the rumble of vehicles coming down the road. They were not coming from the direction of Alexandria, but going towards it. Pressing himself flat against a tree, Carl watched as three trucks rolled past. He recognised them as Saviour trucks, his skin crawled at the thought of them going to his home; but there was little he could do about it now.

A plan however was forming in his mind, if he could somehow get those trucks to stop on their way back, he would have a ride all the way back to the Sanctuary, all he would have to do would be to avoid getting caught the other end.

Waiting until he was sure the trucks were gone, Carl moved towards the road, looking around he knew he would have to create some kind of road block, something that wouldn't look to obvious. In the end Carl decided that a tree falling into the road was his best and possibly his only option. The only problem was, to fell a tree big enough to stop the trucks from getting through would probably take more than the small knife he had with him.

Having no choice and limited time, Carl walked the tree line, looking for the perfect tree. He needed one that was tall, but had a slim trunk, something he could chop through with his knife. He knew he would have to be quick, but if the Saviours had come to take supplies, and generally inspect Alexandria, it wouldn't be a quick visit.

It took almost half a hour, and another mile down the road before Carl found the perfect tree. Not only was the trunk slim, but it was already half rotten from some kind of fungus growing at its base. Bending down and pulling out his knife, Carl began chopping, the echo of his blade cutting into the trunk would surely bring walkers, but Carl knew he had to do it; that this might be his best and last chance to save his family.

By the time the walkers reached him it was too late. The tree was down, and Carl was hidden in a nearby tree, silent as a stone as the walkers spilled out onto the road to investigate the noise. In the end it was a god send. The tucks pulled up not ten minutes after Carl had finished cutting down the tree, and only five after ten or more walkers covered the road. It was the perfect diversion. Saviours poured out of the trucks, first killing the walkers, then removing the tree from their path.

Carl had dashed around the back of one of the trucks, he had opened the door and scrambled inside. Quickly hiding himself behind a crate of supplies. He had no idea how he was going to avoid being detected at the other end, but for now it was a problem he would worry about later. He could here several of the Saviours talking. None of them suspected foul play, and were simply moaning about the walkers, and the inconvenience. The roar of the engine was like music to Carl's ears as the truck began to move off down the road. Carl knew there was no turning back now, no matter how scared he was crouched behind that crate. He knew that everyone in his group had gone through a defining moment in this journey. Now it was his turn and he would be dammed if he was going to fail.

CAROL

Dinner with Negan, it was like diner with Ed. Dancing on egg shells, hoping that she could say and do the right thing, so she didn't bring down his wrath upon her head. Fortunately it was a dance that Carol knew well. She knew when to smile, and when to laugh. Even if all she wanted to do was vomit. The news of Daryl's release had brought the only genuine smile to her face, but she had to cover her excitement with a touch to Negan's arm as his face darkened.

"I'm just glad that he has finally seen sense." Carol said quickly, reading the situation and realising that Negan did not want to talk about her long term companion.

"They all come around in the end. I mean why wouldn't you want to." Negan replied as Carol present him with her patented casserole. It was, by her own standards special. Not only did she had better access to better ingredients here, but they also had herbs and spices she hadn't seen since the turn.

Practically seeing Negan's mouth watering, Carol served up the dish and stood back to watch him eat. She was a little taken back when he pulled out the chair next him him. Inviting her to sit and pushing a plate in front of her.

"I have always found that dining with a beautiful woman, far more preferable too dining alone." Negan spoke with a grin on his face, and Carol could not be sure whether he was being sincere. Negan was hard to read on occasion, his natural charm covering up what, on occasion could be a far more sinister intent.

"Ok, if you're sure." Carol said maintaining her character, and appearing meek and controllable; she sat down in the chair.

From the first bite she knew she had him, the contended sigh that fell from his lips, and the quickness that he shovelled the food into his mouth all spoke volumes. She picked at her own food feeling more than guilty about eating such an elaborate meal, when her own people were almost starving. It wasn't long before Negan was almost finished and he noticed her pushing her food around her plate.

"You should eat, you're too thin." He said it straight, but his eyes lingered on her form, far longer than Carol was comfortable with.

"It's a lot more food than I'm used to, sorry." Carol replied forcing more into her mouth hoping that would be enough to appease him. This was no Ed however, as much as Carol had tried to turn Negan into her dead husband, he was an entirely different animal. He turned towards her now, moving his chair out from the table,so he could face her totally as she sat looking at him, hand hovering over her dinner.

"You have to be one of the most fascinating people I have ever met, and I mean that." Negan said, his eyes not leaving her own, and Carol had to acknowledge the truthfulness in his statement.

"Oh." was all Carol could muster not knowing what to say without arousing Negan's suspicions.

"Either you are a very accomplished liar, or you have been supremely lucky. No one can survive out there any more without killing, not even someone who can cook like you." His face was the picture of amused, but his eyes remained curious. Carol knew the man expected an answer, and Carol didn't know how to give it without making him angry.

"I was lucky, but also I had a good group, they protected me, probably far longer than they should have done." Carol turned her eyes down, hoping that Negan would finally buy into her act. The hand that dropped onto her own startled her, and it took all her will power not to pull away from him.

His hand felt large compared to her own, rough like Daryl's but not at all comforting. Carol knew this was getting into dangerous territory, she had heard about Negan's wives, that he took practically who he wanted. Offering them an easy life in exchange for sex and companionship. Carol couldn't however for the life of her think why he would be interested in her. She had seen the other women in his harem. All young pretty, easily more attractive than herself. Yet here he was having dinner alone with her, and caressing her hand now with the pad of his thumb.

Shooting her eyes up to meet his, Carol felt herself pull away; unable to stop herself when she saw the grin on Negan's face. It wasn't of adoration or respect. Something she had seen in Daryl's eyes on many occasion. No his look was predatory, there was far more going on here than simple sex.

"I get it, you don't know me, I'm just the guy who killed your friends, and took you away from them." Negan said taking her rejection like nothing more than a challenge, like she was playing hard to get.

"I think if you get to know me you might be more interested in what I have to offer." Negan continued, not allowing Carol to reply as she sat there looking at him, trying to get a read on where this was heading.

" There is something about you Carol, something I can't put my finger on. Bet you could teach some of my girls a thing or two though." Negan then said with a small wink, that made Carol shiver. She covered it, forcing herself to remain still as he scrutinise her with a hard look.

Carol knew that Negan was not totally convinced by her innocent act, the first part of his statement spoke to that, but the end quip, designed to put her put her off balance confirmed it.

"Well time to get going anyway, I have a speech to give, and I would like you to come with me." Negan said then getting up and offering her his hand. She took it rising to stand next to him, somewhat taken off balance by his change of subject. Knowing that arguing or fighting would both be pointless, and ultimately useless; Carol followed him out of the door, and through the endless corridors of the Sanctuary.

As they stood on the gantry, looking down across a room Carol hadn't seen before; she looked at the faces before her. They were all downtrodden, sickly looking people. All silent and staring up at them. It took her only a moment to find him in the crowd, her eyes inexplicably drawn to him amongst the many faces below. Even here she could feel his presents, his eyes landing on hers almost immediately. The distance between them no barrier as they communicated in their own silent language. Carol could see his shock, and his anger; but most of all she could tell he was please to see she was ok, and unharmed. For Carol just the fact that he was here, able to stand and look at her across the silent room was enough to give her hope. As Negan began talking she knew it was going to be a long hard road before they would be able to see their family once more.

TBC.. reviews inspire me, so good or bad let me know what you think. Thank you for reading XxX


	4. Chapter 4

CARL

The truck rumbled on, Carl wondered just how far they had travelled; but one thing he knew for certain was that, in no way would he have been able to walk this distance. As the journey continued on, Carl was finding himself becoming increasingly nervous. He still had no idea how he was going to get out of the truck unseen. He would have to rely on a bit of luck, maybe as they unloaded they would leave the truck unattended for a while. They may not even unload straight away, but this Carl knew was wishful thinking. Looking around he wondered if there was anything he could use to create a distraction. Nothing leapt out at him however, nothing that wouldn't alert them to his presence anyway.

It was in his search for something to use as better cover, that Carl happened to look up. There in the roof was a small hatch. Leading to the top of the truck, and outside. If he could climb up as they stopped, and lay flat on the roof until they were gone he knew he would have a chance. That was until Carl thought about any snipers, that may be on look out at the Sanctuary. If they spotted him he would be dead within moments. Deciding that it was really his only option, and that the truck seemed to be slowing down, he was also out of time.

Feeling the truck take a sharp left turn, and slow down to almost a crawl, he knew that they had reached their destination. Standing up, and using the crate he had been hiding behind as a step, he pushed up on the hatch. To his relief it swung open easily, grabbing the side he pulled himself up and onto the roof. Laying as flat as possible, but still scanning his surroundings. Carl spotted several people milling around the compound, all holding rifles, but none of whom could see him. Scanning the windows of the towering building he couldn't see anyone looking out of those, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

The truck finally rolled to a stop, and everyone got off, the doors slamming closed, and voices talking about unloading, and getting the initiates to do it. Carl had no idea what they were on about but he chanced a look down the side of the van, and noticed that most of the people had left. There was a large expanse of concrete to his left, it was at least two hundred yards before there would be any cover. To his right lay what looked like an enclosure for walkers, that was a no go area, as far as Carl was concerned. Turning, still flat on his belly, Carl looked to the front of the truck. Noticing that they had pulled up almost to the building. There was a door maybe twenty feet away, and it looked unguarded. Carl assumed that inside the Sanctuary they were probably pretty lax about security. Something he was going to take advantage of.

At the moment before dropping down, Carl spotted the door at the far end of the compound opening. He quickly dropped down to the floor, sprinting for the doorway, and pressing himself against the wall beside it. Risking a peak back across the courtyard he saw a familiar figure approaching the truck he had been hiding in. his hair hung limp against his face, and the jumper he was wearing covered up the strong muscles, Carl knew were hidden beneath. Even at this distance however, Carl would recognise Daryl anywhere.

He waited a moment, his body tense with nervous excitement; as he waited to see if Carol too came out with the rest of the group. She didn't, Daryl was with three other people, all wearing similar outfits, and escorted by two armed guards. They began off loading the supply's, and Carl knew he had to move or he would be spotted. There was no way he could talk to Daryl here anyway. His best option was to try and find Carol, and hope she was alone.

Pulling open the side door slowly, he poked his head around the corner, and made sure that his knife was in easy reach. He didn't want to have to kill anyone, for he knew that would only draw attention to himself. He was however prepared to do it if he had no choice. Thankfully this corridor appeared to be deserted, the windows that were high above his head let in streams of light, but also left many shadows where he could slip into. Less chance of being seen was always good. This was a rescue mission, not a take down everyone at the Sanctuary mission. Carl knew he would need much more fire power for that endeavour, no matter how tempting it maybe.

Finding his way to a larger corridor, he noticed that the doors that lined either side of the hall had labels on them. Some had names, others were blank, but it was pretty obvious that he had found the living quarters. Checking each one he did not see Carol or Daryl's name on any of them. Getting frustrated, he began to wonder where everyone was. He had been here over half an hour, and apart from the people outside he had seen no one. He was tempted to look in one of the rooms, but he knew in the end it was more risky than productive. What would he gain by seeing someone dirty clothes and where they slept. Coming to the end of the hall Carl found a stairway. It led both down and up. Neither direction seemed appealing, but knowing he was on the ground floor, he had no desire to see what was in the basement. Looking up he saw daylight shining through one of the high windows and began to climb.

On the next level up Carl could here running water and chatter. He ducked behind an out cropping wall as a couple of guys stepped out into the hallway. Dressed in only towels, and dripping water all over the floor.

"I don't get it either man, he could have any woman he wants and he has dinner with a grey haired old lady." One of the men says and Carl's interest is peaked. It was possible that these men were talking about Carol, not that Carl had ever thought of her as old.

"I guess he sees something in her, maybe if he gets here into one of those little dresses the rest of the wives wear we might all see it." The other man replied and Carl felt like being ill. The way these guys were talking about women, he now hoped that they weren't speaking about a member of his family.

"I reckon its the cooking, did you get some of that stew the other night, thought I was going to spunk in my trousers."

Now Carl knew they were talking about Carol, her food was legendary, what she could do with a few nuts and berries was amazing.

"Too right, plus she does have a great ass, I did notice that, especially for an older broad."

That was almost too much for Carl, he felt like breaking cover and slashing both their throats. He remained still however, listening, hoping that they might say something about where Carol was now.

"I think that new greasy haired guy has a thing for her you know, he was asking about her the other day, have to give him a slap."

"I think they travelled together, probably just looking out for her."

"Naw it was more than that, he was pretty insistent, until I slapped him. Shut him up right quick, now she's in with Negan I don't think he has much of a chance."

"None of us do man, he keeps snagging all the hot ones as well, and we're left bottom feeding with the rest."

"Pisses me off to man, but what you gonna do, he's all the way up there with his women, and we're down here. But one day man, Negan won't be around forever."

"Better keep your voice down, if someone hears you you could get the iron for saying something like that."

"Through three levels of concrete, I don't think so, come on lets get dressed I got watch in an hour."

Carl couldn't move, he just had to hope the men didn't come his way, and if they did, didn't look to closely at his dark corner. When he could no longer here them Carl stepped out into the open and ran for the stairs. He knew now where Carol was, up three levels, and probably close to where Negan lived. Now all he had to do was get there without being seen.

Finally making it to level three, he found much the same set up as before, long hallway with rooms leading off it. Up here though it was lighter, more airy, and he could here the giggle of girls coming from one of the rooms. He suck down the corridor, crouched low, and keeping silent. His breath held until he had to take in air, his body tense as the sound of footsteps grew louder. With no option Carl grabbed the handle of the nearest door and jumped inside.

RICK

Negan's visit had been as unpleasant as Rick knew it would be. Fortunately the man had not asked after Carl, but his enquiry about Maggie had touched a nerve. Rick was seriously glad that Maggie was at the Hill top, and now, thanks to Gabriel, Negan thought she was dead. Rick collapsed on the couch, unable to even open his eyes as Judith started fussing on the floor . He felt the couch cushion move as Michonne sat down beside him. Rick didn't even have to open his eyes to know it was her. She had a certain way about her, a smell that was purely Michonne, and all of the things that made her unique. Rick wanted so much to comfort her to tell her everything was going to be all right, but he couldn't. Because deep down he knew it wouldn't be, not whilst they were serving Negan.

"You know, there maybe a way to do this without all of us dying." Michonne spoke in low tones, almost like just what she was saying might be punishable.

"What like killing Negan, oh if it were that simple." Rick replied, trying not to bite at her but failing miserably, as his mood went from dark to worse.

"Maybe not as difficult as we think, I mean we can't be the only ones who hate him. I'm sure the Hill top would help if we wanted to fight back." Michonne continued, undeterred by Rick's bad mood.

"We already know they have no real fighters, and we have no idea how many of them there are, maybe hundreds. No until we have something more viable we continue doing what we are doing. He has Daryl and Carol for Christ sake, he could take down all of Alexandria, I need to keep as many people alive as possible." Rick replied his eyes now opening to meet hers. Letting her know that he meant what he was saying.

"Even at the expense of your own son?" Michonne intoned and Rick felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach. He had no idea how to reply to that, ever since he had found his family in that quarry; his entire being had been about protecting them. He had failed with Lori, and now he was failing Carl. That in spite of everything else was the hardest pill to swallow.

"We can't live like this Rick, it's not who we are, it's not who Carl is, that's why he left, probably on a misguided idea that he was saving you." Michonne's hand landed on his leg, Rick looked down at it, her dark skin caressing the leg of his jeans, warming the skin underneath.

"I know." Rick managed, his hand coming to rest over hers and lacing their fingers together. Right now though Rick had no plan, no clue as to how to get Carl back, or even if it was possible. Almost an entire day had gone passed, he could be anywhere right now. Even already at the Sanctuary, maybe even a prisoner.

"We need more people more allies, we need to get Daryl and Carol back." Rick said then feeling a renewed energy to push forwards. They could still search for supplies, but whilst they were doing it, they could also find people.

"We need to talk to Jesus, he might know of other communities who might be willing to join us." Rick continued as he felt Michonne's grip grew tighter as he felt the fire return to his belly.

"Ok, I agree, but what about Carl?" Michonne asked as Rick sat forwards pulling her face to his and giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"I guess he made his own decision, if he is with the Saviours I guess we will just have to go and get him back."

It took an entire day to get the message to Jesus, but it gave Rick time to talk to the rest of the community. It seemed that they were split right down the middle. Those in favour, included all of his original group, and a handful of the Alexandrian's. The others were concerned that Negan would find out, and that they would all be killed. One of the most vocal about it was Spencer, he was almost to the point of leading a mutiny as the meeting descended into chaos.

"I have been scared of the same things you are speaking about, but we have no guarantee that Negan won't start killing us for not giving him enough supplies, or even looking at him the wrong way. If we continue to live like this we could all end up dead anyway. My own son is out there right now, trying to fight for us, and yet we sit here licking our own wounds. If there is one thing I learnt from being out on the road, was that; you fight or your die."

The silence that fell over the room was almost creepy, Rick felt a shiver run down his spine, almost like all of the people he had ever lost; were right now in this room watching him. It was both eerie and comforting at the same time, looking from face to face as his eyes finally landed on Michonne's at the back of the room. Her soft brown orbs bore into his own, a small reassuring smile gracing her lips as a murmur rose up from the gathered crowd. This time the consensus was yes they would stand and fight.

CAROL

Daryl had been out of confinement for two days now, she had not been able to speak to him, but she had managed to learn that he was ok. She knew it was time to push forward with her plan. For the past two nights she had spent it cooking and eating with Negan. Their conversation had been light, until Negan had mentioned that he was going to Alexandria for a collection. Carol had not realised how much time had passed since the incident in the clearing. She had pushed that memory to the far recesses of her mind and was now fighting to keep them there.

"I do hope Rick has managed to come up with enough, I would hate to have to make another example." Negan continued as he ate his braised venison with gusto.

"I was thinking about taking you along, but it might be too soon, fresh wounds and all that." Negan said seemingly not to noticed, or simply ignoring Carol's distress.

"I don't think me going back would be good, not yet anyway, but I have been meaning to talk to you about a job for me." Carol said approaching the subject with caution, as Negan dropped his fork on to his now clean plate.

"Don't you like being here with me, where it is safe?" his question was genuine, and Carol recognised the confusion on his face. Negan was not a man used to being rejected.

"I do, but I feel kind of useless, I was thinking about something that could help the community, perhaps going on runs, gathering food supplies. I know what is good, what we could use." Carol said meekly, keeping in character as much as she could. Even though the request seemed in contradiction to someone who was afraid of walkers.

"You want to go out?" Negan asked this time his confusion had an edge of anger to it.

"Yes and no, I used to go out with the group before, I knew what plants and berries we could eat, and what supplies were low. I was useful, even if I did need protection." Carol stated feeling like she was on the verge of making him truly angry, she placed a tentative hand on his knee. Negan's eyes were drawn to it almost immediately, softening him somewhat as he looked back up at her. Carol felt dirty, her use of this tactic was somehow beneath them both. That although Negan seemed interested in her that way, this was about far more than sex. It was about control, not only of her, but of Daryl, and the rest of Alexandria.

"I tell you what, I go out tomorrow and see how your former group is doing, they come up with the goods, I'll let you go on a run as a driver, you don't get out of the car, you don't face any rotter's, and you don't put yourself in danger." Negan said, his hand covering hers still rested on his knee.

Carol got the distinct impression that this was not a request. Nodding quickly, she tried to pull her hand away but Negan held it fast. His grip tightened, almost to the point of hurting as he lent forward. For a second Carol though he was going to try and kiss her, but at the last second he turned his head and spoke into her ear.

"I know you like him, but remember, love is a dangerous thing." Negan didn't have to say his name, they both knew who he was referring too. He pulled back and let her go then, standing up and heading for the communal room, where the rest of his wives were located.

Carol started cleaning up, hearing Negan take a girl back to his room, it became obvious only a few minutes later what they were doing. Carol could here them as she washed up, and wondered if Negan had done this on purpose. A stray and self indulgent thought crossed her mind at that moment. She wondered if Negan had left so quickly because he had wanted her and couldn't have her. Settling for someone he could have. She brushed the thought away, knowing that going down that road would only be self deprecating, even though it was an interesting new angle.

Carol knew that most people wanted what they couldn't have, it was an inbuilt human nature, it kept them striving for more in life. Kept them fighting now when all seemed lost, at that moment she wanted to talk to Daryl, needed to see him to make sure he was ok, and to let him know she was still here. Looking around she saw no one watching her. The guard they had posted to her at all times of the day had been gone for hours now. It seemed that her plan was starting to work.

Finishing up in the kitchen Carol walked into the corridor, and saw that no one was around, her desire to see Daryl almost had her heading down the stairs until she heard the door open to Negan's room. She froze, trying to think of something to explain why she was at the stairway. She turned slowly to see Negan standing behind her in only a shirt.

"Going somewhere?" Negan asked as Carol dropped her eyes and nodded her head.

"I was looking for you, I was wondering if I could talk to Daryl?" Carol asked hoping that the simple truth would be the correct way to go.

"I see, and if I say yes what do I get in return?" Negan asked a triumphant smile on his face as he took several steps forward until he was mere inches from her face.

"What do you want?" Carol asked keeping the challenge out of her voice, but falling somewhat short. Negan's eyes narrowed slowly as he regarded her silently.

"I don't force myself on women, I don't let any of my men do it. So please don't ever think I would request a payment of that type. You may have noticed I am not short of partners, but there is something you can do for me. When you speak to him, let him know that if he steps out of line, you might be the one to take the consequences." Negan's words left a sour taste in Carol's mouth as he turned and called for Jean-Paul to escort her to the work room.

Carol went with him, looking forward to speaking with Daryl, but having no intention of telling him what Negan had said. She knew it would destroy him.

When they got to the room where all the lower ranks of the Saviours slept it was dark inside the large room, dark and cold. Carol descended the stairs and let her eyes adjust to the darkness. It was hard to pick out anyone let alone Daryl, most were huddled in corners, or piled under dirty blankets, trying to stave off the cold.

"Hey you have thirty minutes, and I better not see any funny stuff, bosses orders." Jean-Paul said as he pointed to a dark corner, where a figure lay alone. Moving out of the little light that came into the room, Carol crouched down beside Daryl's sleeping figure, and had a flash back to the day in the cell.

She didn't want to startle him, so she called his name softly, he woke almost immediately, like he hadn't in fact been sleeping at all. His reaction almost had her falling on to her ass. His arms came around her, holding her close and tight. His familiar scent and feel making her collapse back into his arms.

"You ok?" Carol whispered, as she felt his head nod against her shoulder, his hands wandering up and down her back. Carol knew he was checking to see if she was real.

"We don't have long, but I need to tell you that I will be going on a run soon. I have a plan, but I need you to keep out of trouble, the more they trust us the more damage we can do." Carol whispered quietly into Daryl's ear as he still held onto her, but a bit more loosely now. It didn't matter that they couldn't see each other, Carol would know him anywhere, even blindfolded and hog tied. She felt like she had come home.

DARYL

She was there, he was holding her so tight, he wondered if she could breath. Carol wasn't complaining though, and Daryl just couldn't seem to let go. She was all he had left of home, and if he was honest with himself she was the best part.

Finally he let go of her, pulling away to look at her face, in the darkness it was only a myriad of shadows. It didn't seem to matter though he could still see her eyes and that was all he needed.

"What do you mean going on a run?" Daryl asked feeling concerned, but knowing deep down that Carol could take care of herself.

"The less you knew the better I think, but I wanted you to know that I am ok, and no matter what you here, Negan hasn't touched me." Carol replied, her voice so low now that Daryl had to strain to here her.

Daryl was glad that she had told him that, not only because he was concerned for her safety, but on a deeper level he had to know that she was still in some way his, and his alone.

"You think the others are ok?" Daryl asked then his voice also hushed as he felt Carol sit on his blanket next to him.

"I hope so." Carol replied, her voice sounded solemn, and Daryl guessed that she didn't know anything more than he did about their group.

For a long moment they sat in silence, Daryl just happy to have her safe and sound by his side, but he knew it wouldn't last. He wanted to tell her so many things, wondering if he would ever get another chance. Yet his fear stopped him, changing the nature of their relationship right now would not be a good move. It would complicate things, if not make their situation worse. So Daryl maintained the silence, hoping that Carol would say something before it became awkward.

Her voice still startled him when it came, even though he had been waiting for it. Her soft hushed voice held an edge to it that made Daryl wonder if she was on the verge of tears.

"I may have to do some things I don't want to do; things that could break me if I let them. I can only do it if I know your safe, if I know you'll be here after." Carol turned to him, he could feel her body shift in the darkness as he looked for her face again. His heart broke a little when he saw her eyes, but he held back his own emotion trying to keep strong for her.

"Always." a single word uttered only because more would have him in tears also. Knowing he had to somehow give her hope before she had to leave Daryl took her in a firm hug again and whispered in her ear.

"There are people here who would fight for us, people who could help, if we just asked." He felt her stiffen under his embrace, before nodding her head against his shoulder.

"Be careful." she whispered back as a man coughed from a few feet away and had them pulling apart immediately.

In a moment she was gone, disappearing into the darkness and back to him. To Negan, the thought made Daryl's skin crawl. She had told him that he hadn't touched her, but he could not be sure, now left alone in the cold and dark; that she said that just to make him feel better. Pulling his meagre blanket up around his face trying to keep the cold out, Daryl settled back down into his sleeping bag, knowing that he was in for a long restless night.

When Daryl got outside with the other initiates he was glad to feel the sunlight on his face. The warm feelings however disappeared when the truck doors were opened and the contents revealed. It was immediately apparent to Daryl that this shipment had come from Alexandria. He recognised the crates that some of it was packed in, and some of the canned goods they had had in their stores.

Lifting out the goods, having no choice in the matter, Daryl forced back the thoughts of his people, his family, and what they may have gone through to get all this stuff, just to give it away. For a moment as he turned lifting out a crate of canned goods, he even thought he spotted Carl disappearing into the side door. That of course was impossible, and Daryl shook his head forgetting it and went back to work.

TBC... More Daryl to come next time, and will Carl get away with going to the Sanctuary? Thank you for reading XxX


	5. Chapter 5

RICK

When Jesus arrived Rick was glad that he had an idea. The place, that was apparently called the Kingdom sounded perfect. Plenty of people, lots of weapons, and also under the Saviours rule. For a moment Rick wondered why Jesus had not told them about this place before. It became apparent fairly quickly however, that the man had his doubts about the Kingdoms willingness to fight.

"Ezekiel is not exactly your run of the mill leader, in fact most of his people have no idea about the Saviours. He keeps them shielded from the outside, and maintains the piece with Negan. He has no real need to start a war." Jesus explained as Rick and Morgan climbed into the car. Rick's decision to only take Morgan along was a carefully measured one. The man wasn't exactly pro killing the Saviours, but he was pro peace. And he could see the advantage in having allies, even if it only forced Negan to leave them alone.

"So maybe we are embarking on a wasted journey." Morgan said as he fired up the car and pulled out of Alexandria.

"Maybe, but I think there maybe merit in just asking, if nothing else we could have another community to trade with." Rick said but secretly hoping for far more than that. Sometimes all people needed was the seed of an idea to change the way they thought about things.

The journey to the Kingdom did not take long, the roads were pretty clear, and so far they had not encountered any other groups. Or more specifically, any of Negan's men. As they drew closer to their destination they were met by several people clad in what looked like armour, and two of them were on horse back. Rick had to admire their set up. Even if it was a little odd.

"Welcome Jesus, who have you brought to us?" one of the men said as his horse shuffled it feet and blew loudly down its nose.

"These are friends from a community called Alexandria, we have a request of the king." Jesus replied as the man jumped down from his horse and handed it to a young man who didn't look much older than a teenager.

"Then I am certain that he will grant you one. Any friend of Jesus is a friend to the Kingdom." The man said stepping forward and shaking Rick's hand. This did appear to be going well, but Rick was keeping his hope to a minimum.

Walking into the Kingdom Rick couldn't keep the smile off his face. This place seemed to be doing very well, had plenty of people, and what looked like proper training for soldiers. Upon meeting with King Ezekiel however Ricks hopes were all but dashed. The man was not willing to start a war when they didn't really have a problem at the moment. Nothing Rick said would convince him, and Rick could understand the man's point. It didn't stop him however feeling defeated, even before they had really gotten started.

"I will remain." Morgan's words startled Rick as they prepared to return to the car.

"Why, you don't know these people, we need you, I need you." Rick said not really wanting to loose probably his first real friend. The man who saved him before Rick even realised that he needed saving.

"I maybe able to convince the king about helping us. In time. I also think I could be useful here to some of their younger members." Morgan said looking at the young man who had met them back at the car. He seemed inexperienced, and in need of training.

"Ok if you think it's for the best, maybe it's not such a bad idea." Rick conceded, knowing that in the end the Saviours may change their mind about the Kingdom, demand more supplies, or even attack. It would be important in that circumstance, to have Morgan there to remind them of their allies.

"Make sure you keep in touch ok." Rick said giving his old friend a pat on the shoulder and climbing back in the car beside Jesus. They drove for a while in silence, until Rick took a turning that took them towards the Hill Top.

"You didn't have to drop me off, I had to pick some things up for Maggie anyway." Jesus said as Rick continued driving. The frustrations of the past few weeks finally getting the better of him as he clutched tight to the steering wheel.

"I need to speak to Gregory, if we could get your people on side, we could start training them. Make them into soldiers. We did it with the people at Alexandria, we can do it again." Rick spoke but did not look at his companion who remained silent. Rick knew that that wasn't a good sign.

After all that was said and done, the Hill top were willing to fight, even if Gregory was not, it was a start. Rick knew that they were a long way off however from taking the fight to the Saviours. Upon his return to Alexandria there was some good news waiting for him. It wasn't Carl, but Tara had returned, without Heath, and with minimal supplies, but she had made it back safe and sound.

It became apparent that Michonne had filled her in about Denise, and about the events in the clearing, once again saving him the job of delivering the bad news. Rick was both grateful, and somewhat ashamed, it was his job to lead the group. Through good times and bad, and yet Michonne seemed to be stepping in more often to spare him the anguish. He wondered at that moment if he was becoming a weak leader. Not fit to lead these people in what could be a long and bloody war. Even more worrying was that Rick was starting to believe he was becoming a weak man, at that moment he vowed to change that, starting right now.

DARYL

After unloading the truck, Daryl had been assigned scrubbing duty, he was cleaning the truck when Carol along with three other guys came out of the building and headed for one of the other vehicles. She looked far more distressed than he had seen her in a long time. He knew immediately that something was wrong. Stopping his work he watched as she climbed into the drivers seat and closed the door. She didn't look at him, her head remained turned away, and focused on what she was doing.

"Eyes on your work Romeo." The guard watching him shouted as Daryl jumped and gave the man a quick flash of his angry eyes before getting on with washing the truck.

"You ain't got a chance with that one any more any way. Not now she is one of Negan's favourites. Not that I see it myself. Got to be a great lay or something." the man continued as the car pulled out and Carol was gone. Daryl felt like knocking the man out, needing the strangle him with his bare hands. Daryl found that he had pretty much ripped the rag he was using in half. These people had no idea who Carol was, how far she had come, or and this was probably fortunate. How truly dangerous she was.

Fortunately for both of them Daryl guard decided to shut up after his last comment, choosing instead to talk to the guy that walked passed them. Daryl mostly ignored what they were saying but the snippets of conversation he did here wasn't that interesting. His eyes wondered towards the main gates. He couldn't help but worry about Carol, it didn't matter where she was, or who she was with, he supposed he would always worry.

When he was back inside the building and once again allowed to roam free with the other initiates, and lower ranks, Daryl decided that it was time to start feeling out people. He hadn't made any friends here, he had been keeping to himself; but he had been watching. There was a man, looked like he had been here a while, he seemed to have the ear of several of the others. He also seemed less than content with his life.

As the day started to wind down Daryl made his way over to where the man was sitting. Sipping on his meagre ration of soup. He looked down at him, taking his bowel and changing it to his left hand. Using his right to balance himself as he sat down on the bench beside the tall skinny man.

"You're the new guy." the man said continuing to eat his soup and not looking at Daryl at all.

"Guess so." Daryl replied, he knew how dangerous this could be, but what choice did he have right now.

"You need something?" the man asked it sounded like a genuine question, not an accusation and Daryl took it as such.

"Maybe, I have noticed that you aren't exactly happy with things here." Daryl started trying to gauge the man's reactions, but as yet he hadn't moved.

"I mean how many of the rest think the same." Daryl started cautiously, as finally the man put down his soup and whipped his sleeve across his mouth.

"You talking about some kind of action?" His voice was low, but sure and Daryl for a second felt like he had made a mistake.

"I'm not sure, but I am pretty certain change would not be a bad thing around here." Daryl said looking around at all the desolate faces and then turning back to his companion.

"When you've been here as long as me, seen the things I have seen, you wouldn't be so quick to talk about starting something." the man replied as Daryl squirmed uncomfortably in his seat as the man looked at him. It was a long hard look, and Daryl felt like he was being analysed.

"But you're not wrong, you come up with some kind of plan, bring it to me, and then we can talk. My names Ian, ask around if you can't find me." Ian said he didn't offer his hand, he simply got up and walked away. Daryl guessed that Ian either already knew his name, or simply didn't care. Either way he felt a renewed sense of hope as he joined the queue for his tiny portion of soup.

He had no idea when Carol had returned, but he had quickly caught on to the fact that something had gone wrong on her run. The place was buzzing with the news, and although they were somewhat out of the loop down in the bowels of the complex, they could still here the guards talking.

For a while Daryl was in a blind panic. Was Carol dead, was she just missing. What went wrong, what was Negan doing about it? His heart started beating inside his chest, so hard that Daryl thought it might pop out at any moment. He had tried to ask the guard what had happened, but they refused to answer him. He wondered for a moment if Carol was in fact dead, if it was all worth it any more. If maybe he should simply make a run for the armoury, and take as many of them with him as he could, before they took him down.

Daryl knew that wasn't what Carol would want. She knew she would want him to go on, to keep fighting. He regretted so much in that moment, sitting on an upturned bucket in a corner alone and head hung towards the floor. He regretted not telling her how much she meant to him. Regretted not kissing her, not being able to hold her at night time, but most of all he regretted not being able to save her. He then heard a hushed silence fall over the room, Daryl knew that someone important had just walked in, right at that moment however he didn't care.

Finally looking up recognising the voice and feeling his blood boil Daryl emerged from the shadows to look up at Negan, the desire to kill him with his bare hands throbbed through his veins, but quickly diminished when he spotted who was standing next to him.

CARL

He could here the voices getting closer to the door. He couldn't believe that they were going to come into this room, out of all of the ones along the hall. He looked around the room, but there was no where to hide, it was bare except for the bed, and a small table. Carl dropped the the floor and rolled under the bed, he knew it was a poor hiding place, but there was really nowhere else to go. Just as he slid as far back as he could he heard the door open.

He held his breath hoping that whomever it was, wasn't going to linger long, it was cramped under the bed; and the floor was freezing. He turned his head, looking out at the room and he saw a pair of boots. Dirty and old, almost worn through at the toe, but boots he recognised. Carl couldn't believe his luck, of all the rooms in the building he had found hers. Carl thought it was about time that he had some luck, and he breathed a sigh of relief as her voice permeated the room.

"Who ever is in here I suggest you come out now." Her voice, no matter how cross she sounded was like music to her ears. Carl quickly pulled himself out from under the bed and stood next to her, his eyes locked on to her face as Carol's mouth fell open.

"Carl what? How?" Her almost speechlessness would have been comical except they were in a dangerous situation.

"I've come to break you out." Carl said as Carol pulled him by the arm to the bed and sat him down.

"Sometimes I just don't know what to do with you. Three parts brave and one part stupid" Carl would have been hurt by her words, except the smile plastered on her face was telling him that she meant well.

"We just need to get Daryl and we can get out of here." Carl said now feeling more confident as he sat here with her. The smile quickly dropped off her face however, and Carl felt disappointment rise in his chest.

"There is no way we can get out of here without someone noticing pretty quickly, I am due to go on a run in ten minutes, and Daryl has eyes on him all the time. No we can't get out, but you can; and you can give your dad a message." Carol said now pulling Carl up and heading for the door. Carl's face fell as he realised that he was going to be leaving without them. He also had no idea how he was going to get back to Alexandria.

"Now listen to me closely and please do exactly what I say. You need to go out of here, take the back staircase down two levels. Then go down the corridor until you reach a door saying staff parking. Open the door and look for a blue ford, its parked about ten feet away. Get in the trunk and close it. No matter what you hear, you have to stay in there until I get you out. You understand me?" Carol said her hands clutching hold of Carl's upper arms almost tight enough to hurt.

Carl nodded his head, he didn't really have a choice, and he didn't want to get caught.

"Ok go now, and remember don't open that trunk for any reason ok." Carol said as Carl peered outside the door, and spotted that the cost was clear. Running to the staircase he quickly descended it and hit the hallway. Moving carefully now making sure that no one was watching him, he finally came to the door, and pushed it open a crack. Seeing the car exactly where Carol had said it would be. Sticking his head out Carl couldn't see anyone, so he stepped outside and took a deep breath, knowing that he would have to be quick. Just before he stepped out he heard voices. Two men appeared around the far corner, and for a second Carl thought they were stopping at the car. He held his breath, his heart beating a furious rhythm inside his chest.

It seemed to take the men ages to move on, but just as they went out of sight, Carl could here people coming down the corridor behind him. Having no choice now, he ducked out of the door, and rushed across the short expanse of concrete. He dived for the boot of the car, pulling it open, and rolling in almost in a single move. He managed to latch the lid before the men exited the building.

With the adrenaline still pumping through his system, Carl was finding it difficult to here what the men were saying. He guessed that there were three of them, but he couldn't be sure. He did know that Carol wasn't there yet because they were talking about her.

"You believe we have to babysit this chick just cuz she is Negan's new favourite and she wants to go on a run."

"I know, and why us man? Like what have we done to deserve this."

"Look its an easy pick up guys, gets us some Kudos with the boss, and gets us away from this depressing shit hole for a while."

Carl heard groans of agreement as he felt the men get in the car. Three doors opened, and three closing. Carl preyed that they would start talking again, worried that they might hear him breathing in the enclosed space.

"You reckon she chickened out?" On of them asked as another scoffed.

"No here she is look." Carl couldn't look but he knew there was no way Carol would chicken out, especially with him in the trunk.

"Ok are we ready, I'm sorry I am late, but Negan stopped me to remind me to be careful, and to tell me to radio in if anything goes wrong." Carol's voice was followed by the starting up of the engine, and then they were off. The irony of being inside a dark moving vehicle again was not lost on him as the car sped up. All Carl could do was trust Carol knew what she was doing.

The car ride had been pretty much silent, a few directions here and there, some small talk about where Carol had come from, but nothing significant. In the end Carl felt the car slow down, then roll to a stop. The car doors opened and they got out,Carl could here boots on what sounded like gravel outside.

"You stay in the car, I'll keep watch , Stevens and Rivers can go in for the ammo." One of the men said as Carl could do nothing but listen. He was hoping they would all go, and Carol would let him out to escape. Didn't look like that was going to happen now.

For a moment there was nothing, he thought he heard a lighter spark up, but it could have been anything. The next thing he heard was a thud, then what sounded like dragging something heavy across the gravel. It was getting further away and Carl strained to listen. He was almost panicking now, the trunk suddenly felt a lot smaller than it had earlier. An eerie silence fell, and Carl held his breath, hoping to here anything at all.

The next thing he heard was Carol screaming, it was loud and Carl knew it would bring every walker for miles down on their heads. His need to get out of the trunk was almost all consuming now, but he remembered Carol had told him no matter what he heard he was to stay put.

CAROL

Finding Carl in her room had been a bit of a shock, and now she would have to re work her plan, but maybe this would be better. She knew he would do as she asked, and made sure she gave him plenty of time to get to the car. Now they were here she was even more grateful when Gibbs had stayed behind on watch. She let him spark up his cigarette before she quietly opened the door, and got out. Looking over the man's shoulder she could see, two maybe three walkers in the tree line, she knew there would have to be more than that for her plan to work.

Taking out the knife she had stolen from Negan's private kitchen she held it fast, it wasn't the sharpest knife but it would have to do. Creeping up behind Gibbs who was too busy smoking and watching the walkers, she quickly dragged it across his throat. Deep enough to do the job and nothing more. He fell with a thud, a slight gurgle, and not a lot more.

Knowing that she didn't have long, Carol grabbed him by the ankles and dragged him over to where the walkers were lurking in the tree line. She whistled a bit, encouraging them over, and quickly pulled his rifle off him, and tucked it under her coat. Running back to the car Carol screamed at the top of her lungs. Hoping to attract more walkers as the ones in the tree line fell to their knees and started devouring Gibbs.

It took Rivers and Stevens only a moment to emerge from the warehouse, both had a large box that they quickly dropped as they saw Carol pointing at where their friend lay.

"They got him." Carol shouted, as both men ran towards Gibbs paying her no attention. Carol pulled out the gun, and fired off shots until the clip was almost empty. She had succeeded in bringing down both men, and now she could see at least ten more walkers emerging from the trees. Quickly she ran to the trunk, pulling it open to find a wide eyed Carl staring back at her.

"Come on we don't have long." Carol said pulling him out as he almost collapsed on her with relief.

"I thought they had hurt you." He said as she pulled him over to where they had dropped the ammo. One eye on the walkers.

"No I'm fine, but not for long, there are more coming, now help me get this in the car." Carol said picking up a box. It was heavy and she wondered if Carl would be able to carry it. The boy lifted it easily enough though, and Carol forgot just how much he had grown.

"Come on jump in before this place is over run." Carol said placing the ammo in the trunk and then running to the drivers door. Carl jumped in the passenger seat, and closed the door just before a walker caught hold of him.

Carol wasted no time in getting out of there, the warehouse was now full of walkers, and she knew the bodies of Negan's men would be almost unidentifiable.

"You killed them all?" Carl asked it was not an accusation, it was admiration, and Carol had to stop herself from cringing.

"Yeah and I will kill more if I have to. You need to tell your dad that we are ok, that we are doing what we can from the inside. That we can fight Negan and not to give up. Daryl is working on turning people against Negan, that not all the Saviours are happy, and that I will do what I can to lower their numbers." Carol chanced a glance at him, Carl was nodding and looking out of the windscreen.

"We're going home." He said looking at her with a smile.

"No, you're going home, I have to go back, or Negan will kill Daryl and send people out looking for me. You can also take a box of that ammo." Carol gestured to the trunk as she pulled over and slowed the car down. They were less than a mile from Alexandria and she dared not get any closer.

"You have to go now, tell everyone, tell them we'll see them soon."

Carol gave Carl a quick hug, but it was all she could manage before she sent him off, and drove back towards the Sanctuary. Seeing him had been hard, it had made killing those men a little easier however. Now came the tricky part, she had to convince Negan that it was a heard that got them, and that three of his best men were dead.

"Hello, hello is anyone there?"

"Carol that you?"

"Yeah we got overran a huge heard came, I had to. I had to leave."

"Carol it's Negan, are you ok?"

"I think so but the others. I think they're dead."

TBC... If you are enjoying this please let me know, as I may have to consider shelving it for a while if there is no interest. Thank you for reading XxX


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